At the beginning of Emperor Jiaqing's ascension to the throne, he was faced with an unprecedented dilemma - the White Lotus Sect uprising swept through the Central Plains, and the Qing court was in danger. In order to suppress the uprising, Jiaqing mobilized hundreds of thousands of troops, raised huge sums of money, and finally suppressed the rebel army nine years later. However, this bitter battle became a harbinger of the decline of the Qing Dynasty.
In the "sweaty" farce of Jiaqing, there is a "gray rhinoceros" that he has not noticed, that is, the legitimacy of the Qing Dynasty's rule has been declining.
Let's take a look at the past and present life of this "gray rhinoceros".
In 1644, the Qing army entered the customs and replaced the Ming Dynasty as the new lord of the Central Plains. In order to gain the support of the Han Chinese, the Qing court propagated the idea of "Yidi Yifu", held high the political banner of "shaving hair and easy clothes", and called on the people to accept Manchu culture. At this time, the legitimacy of Qing rule came mainly from military conquest.
Subsequently, the three generations of monarchs of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong implemented a series of reforms, strengthened the centralization of power, improved the status of Han scholars, and reaffirmed the promise of never giving more, gradually consolidating the ruling position of the Qing Dynasty in the Central Plains, and the legitimacy of the Qing Dynasty's rule also changed from "military conquest" to "civil security and civil security". By the middle of the 18th century, the political system and culture of the Qing Dynasty had been initially accepted by Han scholars.
However, the good times were short-lived. Beginning in the second half of the 18th century, due to the rapid increase in population, the carrying capacity of farmland declined, people's livelihood withered, and bandits were everywhere. The White Lotus Sect took the opportunity to launch a major uprising, which opened the prelude to the crisis of rule. The rebel army held high the banner of "opposing the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty", igniting the national sentiment of the Han people and having a huge impact on the legitimacy of the Qing government. The road to counterinsurgency was difficult and dangerous, and nine years later, although the Qing court "quelled" the White Lotus uprising, it suffered heavy casualties. After the Tianli Sect uprising, it directly attacked the Forbidden City Imperial Palace.
These ominous signs indicate that the legitimacy of the Qing dynasty has been imperceptibly eroded. However, Emperor Jiaqing turned a blind eye to this, and he portrayed the rebellion as a "cult to confuse the public" and was unwilling to face up to the root cause. Like the gray rhinoceros, lurking beneath the political cornerstones, ready to strike a fatal blow. It's a pity that Emperor Jiaqing didn't discover the existence of this gray rhinoceros until he died.
The weakening of the legitimacy of the rule was a deeper reason for the decline of the Qing Dynasty. External troubles are the fuse, and internal worries are the root cause. This is just like the dilemma facing many countries today -- under the surface of harmony and stability, there is a crisis of changing people's minds and an unstable foundation of governance. We must always be vigilant to prevent the new "gray rhinoceros" from quietly rising.
History is a mirror. We should not simply blame one person or a generation of monarchs, but we should look at the overall situation of that era. The long river of time rushes forward, and the wind and clouds are unpredictable. Let us understand the difficult choices of different times with tolerance and compassion.
Death row prisoners write letters, and the monarch is lenient
After Emperor Jiaqing ascended the throne, he faced a nationwide conservative reaction, and in the face of an embattled situation, although Emperor Jiaqing had unspeakable secrets, he still supported enlightened ministers to write a letter to express their feelings.
There was a famous man named Hong Liangji, who once wrote a book criticizing the old government, believing that customs were declining, and Emperor Jiaqing did not take responsibility for his crimes. Later, Hong Liangji wrote letters to various places, severely criticizing Emperor Jiaqing for his improper use of personnel and the lack of strict government administration. Emperor Jiaqing was furious after seeing it, saying that Hong Liangji "spoke wantonly and slandered", so he sent Hong Liangji to the frontier.
However, on the way to Ili where Hong Liangji was escorted, Emperor Jiaqing issued a decree to pardon Hong Liangji's capital crime, as long as he returned to his hometown. The general of Ili also wanted to take the opportunity to curry favor with the emperor, and offered to Privni Hong Liangji, but was once again stopped by Emperor Jiaqing.
This scene reflects the inner contradiction of Emperor Jiaqing. On the one hand, he hoped for frank advice from officials, but on the other hand, he could not bear criticism. This paradox was not uncommon among the emperors of the time. We should not criticize Emperor Jiaqing, but appreciate his decision to finally forgive Hong Liangji. This shows his heart and strength as a monarch.
Emperor Jiaqing reigned for 25 years, and he worked hard to govern the country, but he also made many mistakes. Let us use the compassion of history to understand these inevitable mistakes. Everyone grows in suffering, and every dynasty grows in crisis. As Hong Liangji said: "Today, the talents are exhausted." "Every era has a limited number of talents, and we can't ask too much for perfection, but each era is accumulating experience and paving the way for the next generation.
It was his misfortune that Emperor Jiaqing did not discover the gray rhinoceros hidden under the political cornerstone. But he was fortunate to end up pardoning the death row inmates who criticized him. Let us remember the latter and inherit the virtues of generosity and tolerance.
The Korean language of Yizhuang and harmony
At the same time, the Joseon Dynasty, a neighboring country in northeastern China, was also in the midst of a state of flux. Similar to the "Three Great Cases of Wanli" in Chinese history, there were also three strange cases in the middle of the Joseon Dynasty, and none of their protagonists could escape - Jeongdong Park in Seoul.
In the forty-sixth year of Wanli (1618), the first Zhendong strange case occurred. Zhongzong's harem nobleman Zhang studied with the eunuch Gu Zhi and poisoned Zhongzong's princess Queen Renxian. Zhang Guiren and the eunuchs killed the pregnant princess and the flesh and blood in her womb, which is known as the "murder of Queen Renxian" in history.
As for the second Jeongdong case, it will not be staged until 150 years later. In the thirty-fourth year of Qianlong (1769), the old king Yingzu wanted to depose the prince as a prisoner and set up his eight-year-old half-brother Tian Hongjun as the prince. This sparked a political struggle, which ended in failure, and the prince of the world claimed to be the heir to the throne as the main ancestor. Youngjo was imprisoned in Jeongdong Villa until his death eight years later.
If you watch the historical drama "Joseon Dynasty", you must be deeply impressed by these two things. Zhendong, Zhendong, how is it always Zhendong!
During the Shunzhi period, the Qing Dynasty sent troops to attack Korea, and finally the two sides made peace, and the Qing court was called a vassal of Korea. From then on, the Joseon Dynasty became a vassal state of China. As a result, North Korea can only communicate with China through China, and its foreign trade must also rely on Chinese maritime business. The influence of Chinese culture on North Korea is deepening. At the same time, North Korean society has stagnated due to the long-term closure of the country and xenophobia.
It is not difficult to find some similarities between China and Korea during this period: frequent external troubles, absolute monarchy, fierce party strife, bureaucratic corruption, and civil uprisings. The root cause of these social problems lies in the short-sightedness of the rulers and the change of popular mind.
The vicissitudes of the world, let's talk about China in the Jiaqing period. The decade-long bloody storm finally subsided, and the illusion of peace did not last long, and the Qing court would soon continue to face both domestic and foreign pressures. Silently, the hidden "gray rhinoceros" is quietly waiting for the next attack.
When we look back at history, we should think deeply, and when we look forward to the future, we should ask questions carefully.